By Lou Raffetto

Rosie Napravnik (Jim McCue/MJC)

The Maryland thoroughbred circuit has been a proving ground for many outstanding young riders.

Names like Chris McCarron and Kent Desormeaux quickly come to mind as apprentice sensations who went on to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Edgar Prado, winner of more than 6,000 races and another Hall of Famer, is another great rider who developed his expertise and reputation while competing in this state for many years. More recently, the 2010 Eclipse Award-winning jockey, Ramon Dominguez, plied his trade on the Maryland circuit until economics no longer made sense.

The most recent member of the jockey colony from Maryland who has gone on to achieve prominence in a short time is Anna Rose "Rosie" Napravnik. She is, by far, the biggest success story to come out of Maryland in quite a while.

Born Feb. 9, 1988, in Morristown, N.J., Napravnik was introduced to horses at an early age by her parents and was riding in organized pony races by the time she was 7. Even as a youth, she knew she was going to do something with horses and experiences with the pony races convinced her she wanted to be a jockey.

Starting at age 13, Napravnik spent her summers galloping racehorses, a rather atypical lifestyle for a male or female of her age. In 2004, at the ripe old age of 16, she moved to Maryland to be with her sister and to prepare for the career she had envisioned for so long. Napravnik began galloping horses for one of the top trainers on the Maryland circuit, Richard Small, who quickly realized her potential and encouraged her to make race riding, not school, her top priority. She heeded his advice and concentrated on becoming a jockey.

On June 9, 2005, the 17-year old Napravnik rode her first winner on a horse named Ringofdiamonds for trainer Small. She subsequently went on to win 71 races and $1.3 million in purses for the year. It was a start to what has been an outstanding career as a journeyman jockey.

Napravnik went on to be an Eclipse Award finalist for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2006 with 300 wins and earnings of $6,395,075 in purses, winning riding titles at all four meets in Maryland. But things haven’t always been rosy.

Napravnik has had four major injuries during her short career, with two of them in 2007 forcing her to miss nearly eight months of riding. She came back strong in 2008, recording 176 wins and amassing more than $4.2 million in earnings, but missed the entire fall season because of a terrible spill at Delaware. Her stock continued to rise in 2009 when she had mounts earning $5,176,563 from 184 victories.

An injury-free 2010 saw Napravnik catapult to 16th in the national standings with 209 wins. This was coupled with a riding title at Delaware Park and a career-high of $6.59 million in earnings.

It appears 2011 is going to be anotherbreakout year for Napravnik. Three years removed from being a regular on the Maryland circuit, Napravnik took a gamble this winter and moved her tack to Fair Grounds in New Orleans, a place known for great cuisine but also a circuit known for hardened Louisiana trainers and tough Cajun riders.

During her time there, she gained the respect and trust of some of the top trainers who recognized her talent and the work ethic that went with it. She not only held her own but became the leading jockey at the meet with 110 victories, outdistancing her nearest rival by 31 wins. In addition, she won 13 stakes races while becoming the first female rider ever to win the $1 million Louisiana Derby.

At this point in her career, Napravnik has the potential to become the leading female rider of all time.

From 2001-2007, Lou Raffetto served as president/COO of the MJC. He remains a passionate advocate for Maryland racing.

Issue 160: April 2011